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Disarm

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Disarm



 
 
"Disarm" is a song by The Smashing Pumpkins
The Smashing Pumpkins

The Smashing Pumpkins are an American alternative rock band that formed in Chicago, Illinois in 1988. While the group has gone through several lineup changes, The Smashing Pumpkins consisted of Billy Corgan , James Iha , D'arcy Wretzky , and Jimmy Chamberlin for most of the band's recording career....
. It was the third single
Single (music)

In the record industry, a single is a song usually used from a current or upcoming album to promote the album. Singles are distributed through a number of ways; originally, they were packaged as "single" records with one or two other songs and sold before the release of the album....
 and their sixth track from their second album, Siamese Dream
Siamese Dream

Siamese Dream is the second studio album by the American alternative rock band The Smashing Pumpkins, released on July 27, 1993 on Virgin Records....
. "Disarm" was written by Billy Corgan
Billy Corgan

William Patrick Corgan, Jr. is an United States of America singer, songwriter, guitarist and occasional poet. Corgan is the vocalist and lead guitarist for alternative rock band The Smashing Pumpkins....
 and is one of the band’s most highly regarded songs. Corgan considers it the most personally important song on Siamese Dream.

History
The BBC banned the song from appearing on Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops

Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a long-running United Kingdom UK Singles Chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006....
, because of the lyric "cut that little child", and it received little radio airplay in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
.






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Encyclopedia


"Disarm" is a song by The Smashing Pumpkins
The Smashing Pumpkins

The Smashing Pumpkins are an American alternative rock band that formed in Chicago, Illinois in 1988. While the group has gone through several lineup changes, The Smashing Pumpkins consisted of Billy Corgan , James Iha , D'arcy Wretzky , and Jimmy Chamberlin for most of the band's recording career....
. It was the third single
Single (music)

In the record industry, a single is a song usually used from a current or upcoming album to promote the album. Singles are distributed through a number of ways; originally, they were packaged as "single" records with one or two other songs and sold before the release of the album....
 and their sixth track from their second album, Siamese Dream
Siamese Dream

Siamese Dream is the second studio album by the American alternative rock band The Smashing Pumpkins, released on July 27, 1993 on Virgin Records....
. "Disarm" was written by Billy Corgan
Billy Corgan

William Patrick Corgan, Jr. is an United States of America singer, songwriter, guitarist and occasional poet. Corgan is the vocalist and lead guitarist for alternative rock band The Smashing Pumpkins....
 and is one of the band’s most highly regarded songs. Corgan considers it the most personally important song on Siamese Dream.

History


The BBC banned the song from appearing on Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops

Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a long-running United Kingdom UK Singles Chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006....
, because of the lyric "cut that little child", and it received little radio airplay in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
. That lyric along with lyrics like "what I choose is my choice" and "the killer in me is the killer in you" has also led to some controversy, as some read it as implying that abortion
Abortion

An abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by the removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus from the uterus, resulting in or caused by its death....
 is murder. However, even with the ban and the limited radio time, it still peaked at #11 on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart

The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official UK Charts Company on behalf of the British record industry. The chart week runs from Sunday to Saturday, with the chart being printed in Music Week magazine , ChartsPlus , and published online on various sites ....
 due to strong sales.

While the Pumpkins often produced softer, acoustic versions of many of their louder, more aggressive songs, the band performed a heavy, electric version of "Disarm" on a British television appearance, as featured on Vieuphoria
Vieuphoria

Vieuphoria is a long form music video by The Smashing Pumpkins originally released on VHS on October 4, 1994. It was certified RIAA certification by the RIAA in late 1996....
, and also on live U.S. TV at the 1994 MTV Video Music Awards
MTV Video Music Awards

The MTV Video Music Awards were established in the end of the summer of 1984 in television by MTV to celebrate the top music videos of the year....
. The electric version changes the tone of the song from that of a ballad to a more angst-driven rock song.

Two different versions of the single were produced. Each version (Heart and Smile) featured different artwork and different B-sides.

The B-sides to the Heart version were both covers of classic rock songs from the 1970's. "Landslide" was later included on the compilation album Pisces Iscariot
Pisces Iscariot

Pisces Iscariot is a compilation album of A-side and B-side, demos, and outtakes released in 1994 by The Smashing Pumpkins through Virgin Records....
, after which it received significant airplay on U.S. Modern Rock stations, peaking at #3 on that chart. "Dancing in the Moonlight" performed well in Australia, where it charted at number 90 on the Triple J Hottest 100
Triple J Hottest 100, 1994

The 1994 Triple J Hottest 100, counted down in January 1995, was a countdown of the most popular songs of the year, according to listeners of the Australian radio station Triple J....
 in 1994, while "Disarm" did not chart.

The UK 7" purple vinyl single features an exclusive b-side "Siamese Dream" which does not appear on any other physical release. In 2005, the track was released as a digital download as part of the Rarities and B-sides compilation.

Music video

The music video, directed by Jake Scott
Jake Scott (director)

Jake Scott is a film director who works primarily in the field of music videos. Most of his works were produced under the Ridley Scott Associates banner or RSA's music video subdivision Black Dog Films....
, is black and white and shows the members of the band floating over images of a house, an old man walking through an underpass while home movie-esque, color footage shows a young boy playing outside. Billy Corgan has said that he didn't want the old man in the video, but Scott insisted. The video premiered on MTV in late 1993 and was immediately placed into heavy rotation. In 1994, it was nominated for Best Alternative Video
MTV Video Music Award for Best Alternative Video

The following is a list of MTV Video Music Award winners for Best Alternative Video. Prior to its inception, this award was known as Best Post-Modern Video....
 and Best Editing
MTV Video Music Award for Best Editing

The following is a list of MTV Video Music Awards winners for Best Editing in a Video....
 at the MTV Video Music Awards
MTV Video Music Awards

The MTV Video Music Awards were established in the end of the summer of 1984 in television by MTV to celebrate the top music videos of the year....
, the Pumpkins' first MTV Awards nominations.

Track listing

All songs were written by Billy Corgan
Billy Corgan

William Patrick Corgan, Jr. is an United States of America singer, songwriter, guitarist and occasional poet. Corgan is the vocalist and lead guitarist for alternative rock band The Smashing Pumpkins....
, except where noted.

UK 7" vinyl single (7243 8 92309 7 0, HUT 43)
  1. "Disarm" – 3:17
  2. "Siamese Dream" – 2:38


UK CD single 1
  1. "Disarm" – 3:17
  2. "Soothe (Demo)" - 2:35
  3. "Blew Away" (James Iha
    James Iha

    James Yoshinobu Iha born March 26, 1968 in Chicago, Illinois, U.S.) is an American rock musician. He is most famous as having been a guitarist in the alternative rock band The Smashing Pumpkins and for his eclectic musical projects of recent years, including A Perfect Circle....
    ) – 3:31


UK CD single 2
  1. "Disarm" – 3:17
  2. "Landslide
    Landslide (song)

    "Landslide" is a song written by Stevie Nicks and performed by Fleetwood Mac. It was first featured on the band's 1975 album Fleetwood Mac ....
    " (Stevie Nicks
    Stevie Nicks

    Stephanie Lynn "Stevie" Nicks is an American singer-songwriter, best known for her work with Fleetwood Mac and an extensive solo career, which collectively have produced over forty Top 50 hits and has sold nearly 120 million albums....
    ) – 3:10
  3. "Dancing in the Moonlight" (Thin Lizzy
    Thin Lizzy

    Thin Lizzy are an Irish hard rock band who formed in Dublin, Republic of Ireland in 1969. The band were led throughout their recording career by Bass guitar, songwriter and singer Phil Lynott, and are best known for their songs "Whiskey in the Jar", "Jailbreak " and "The Boys Are Back in Town", all major international hits still played regula...
    ) – 4:21


Chart performance

Chart (1994)Peak
position
Australian Singles Chart
ARIA Charts

File:ARIA Charts Logo.pngThe ARIA charts are the main Australia record charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling single and albums in various genres in Australia....
16
UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart

The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official UK Charts Company on behalf of the British record industry. The chart week runs from Sunday to Saturday, with the chart being printed in Music Week magazine , ChartsPlus , and published online on various sites ....
11
US Mainstream Rock Tracks
Mainstream Rock Tracks

Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks is a ranking in Billboard magazine of the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations, a category that includes stations that play primarily rock music but are not modern rock stations, which are counted in the Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart....
5
US Modern Rock Tracks
Modern Rock Tracks

Hot Modern Rock Tracks is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in Billboard magazine since September 10, 1988. It lists the forty most-played songs on modern rock radios, most of which are alternative rock songs....
8


External links

  • Allmusic